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You might be wondering why the Smithsonian Libraries would choose a book based on beasts from fantasy, but behind every myth is some truth. The family of “cryptids” includes such familiar creatures as Bigfoot, Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster, plus several other questionable beasts of land and sea. This book, illustrated with black-and-white photos and drawings, attempts to apply the scientific method to reports of these mythological creatures. The goal is to separate fact from fiction, i.e., what is pure imagination from what is actually possible.

The author of this masterpiece, British lawyer Chapman Frederick Dendy Marshall (1872 – 1945) was a railway historian. He was also a philatelist. At age 56, he was awarded the coveted Crawford Medal by the Royal Philatelic Society of London for this exact publication. The Crawford Medal is awarded by the Society for the most valuable contribution to philately published in book form. The medal is named after the 26th Earl of Crawford, a philatelic bibliophile. Mr. Marshall was a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institution of Locomotive Engineers.

'To me black history is everyone’s history. It's the long, often tragic and always surprising story of Britain’s relationship with Africa and her peoples, both here in Britain but also in Africa and across the Caribbean and North America, and most of it is little known. It’s a major part of the story of us all.' —David Olusoga

In 1897, an unauthorized party of 250 British merchants and African soldiers disguised as porters approached the powerful city of Benin, located in what is now southern Nigeria, intending to overthrow its king and reestablish a once lucrative trade outpost. They were ambushed en route, only two men survived. In revenge, the British sent a punitive expedition to Benin which destroyed the city.

The Tate’s Seven Exhibitions (February 24–March 23, 1972) was a seminal event which marked the arrival of conceptual art in Britain. The seven overlapping exhibitions were organized by Michael Compton, and included works by Keith Arnatt, Michael Craig-Martin, Hamish Fulton, Bob Law, Bruce McLean, David Tremlett, and Joseph Beuys. The exhibition included photographs, films, tape recordings, and a public lecture by Beuys on direct democracy, which also marked the first time the Tate displayed mixed media.

This rare first edition, published in two volumes, is a fascinating series of anecdotes of wildlife and hunting in India told by Captain Thomas Williamson. Williamson served in a British regiment in Bengal and was an avid sportsman while there. Edward Orme (1775-1848), a British engraver, painter, and publisher of illustrated books, spear-headed the publication and commissioned the painter Samuel Howitt (1756-1822) to develop 40 illustrations for the work.

This is a rare book for children with hand-colored copperplate engravings and a floriated border cover. It features detailed full regalia and a summary text about the British coronation ceremony. The text includes the title and position of each central figure during the coronation with a special emphasis on the (at the time) new Imperial Crown, scepter, and coronation anointing materials. Few pamphlets were produced about British heraldry and fashion; this book’s importance lies in its simplicity and focus meant for children.

Lectures on Painting contains three lectures given by James Barry (1741-1806), John Opie (1761-1807), and Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), with an introduction by Ralph Nicholson Wornum (1812-1877). The three lecturers were all members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and they were, as well as Wornum, prominent artists of their time. In addition to being an artist, Wornum was also an art historian, administrator, Keeper of the National Gallery in London, and Secretary for the National Gallery's Trustees.

In 1913 Martha Ornstein, a Barnard College and Columbia University graduate, published her pioneering doctoral thesis on the intersection of scientific advancement and the rise of scientific societies. Her work helped form what would become the "New History" movement of the 20^th century, which helped broaden the study of history and allowed for more diverse and inclusive interpretations of it. This volume is a third edition of her thesis, published in 1938 and acquired by the Smithsonian in 1944. It offers a concise history of the rise and role of certain scientists, societies, j

The book discusses the transatlantic partnership of the abolitionist movement by describing how Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) got an early start in the abolitionist movement overseas. His 1845 trip to what is known today as the United Kingdom changed his life forever. This book is a set of essays written by ten different scholars, professors of American and African American studies, from both the United States and the United Kingdom. 

“There was an old person of Brussels, Who lived upon Brandy and Mussels. When he rushed through the town, He knocked most people down, Which distressed all the people of Brussels.”

This is a comprehensive work on numerous types of birds, many not normally considered pets or cage-birds. Some also consider it a classic work on canaries. Each author contributed chapters in one of three sections: Blakston wrote about canaries; Swaysland, in his role as an “authority” on the subject, contributed the section on British cage-birds; and Wiener wrote the section on foreign birds. Blakston’s chapters on canaries include more detailed information on breeding, hatching and rearing, exhibiting, and diseases than the other two authors’ sections.